Make This Check Before Every Winter Car Trip
Once snow or ice does arrive, take some extra
time to make sure your car is clean and your visibility is good.
Clear off the entire car, not just a little
peephole in the windshield. You need just as much, if not more, visibility
in poor conditions because you have to keep your eyes peeled for
pedestrians, and every other knucklehead on the road.
Make sure every glass surface is clear and
transparent by using a snowbrush and/or ice scraper. Your side-view mirrors
and all lights should be brushed and cleared as well.
Now, if you haven't been smart enough to do so
already, clean the snow off the rest of the car. Why? Because the rest of
the snow will either (A) slide off the roof and cover your windshield as
you're slowing down; or (B) fly off onto someone else's windshield and
causing him or her to smash into you. That's not enough of a reason? Fine.
Here's another: (C) it's the law that your vehicle must be clear of snow and
ice.
When driving in the snow, do
everything slowly.
Even with good coolant, snow tires, stability control, all-wheel drive, and
the bag of Doritos in the trunk, keep in mind that driving in snow, sleet,
and ice is very treacherous. And even if you maintain control of your car,
not everyone else will. So don't ever get lulled into a false sense of
security. Do everything slowly and gently. Remember, in the snow, the tires
are always just barely grabbing the road. Accelerate slowly and gently, turn
slowly and gently, and brake slowly and gently. To do this, you have to
anticipate turns and stops. That means what? Going slowly and leaving and
leaving plenty of distance between you and other cars. Rapid movements lead
to skids and loss of control. Drive as if there were eggs on the bottoms of
your feet — step on the gas and the brake pedals so gently that you don't
break the eggshell.
If you're nervous about
driving in winter, consider spending some time practicing. Go to an empty
parking lot and try sending the car into a little skid on purpose.
